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MY 10 FAVOURITE BOOKSHOPS IN THE WORLD
My work and travels have led me to an array of such establishments, each a unique world unto itself, each with its own story to tell. For me, these are not merely stores; they are treasure troves of knowledge, adventure, and wonder. As I step through the door of each bookshop, I am immediately enveloped in an atmosphere that is at once vibrant and tranquil. The soft rustle of pages turning, the muted footsteps of fellow literary explorers and the gentle murmur of hushed conversations create a soothing symphony of sound. The noise of the world outside fades to a distant echo, replaced by the intimate dialogue between reader and book… the joy of discovery!
Physically, they differ so much. Some bookshops are bathed in the warm glow of a vintage lamp or basked in the stark brightness of modern lighting, each one a kaleidoscope of colours and textures. Row upon row of books, their spines a spectrum of hues, create a feast that beckons the eyes and heart. The people who work in these bookshops are more than mere employees; they are custodians of stories, guardians and guides to worlds waiting to be explored. With a smile, a nod or a well-timed recommendation, they guide you through the labyrinth of shelves, helping you uncover hidden gems and forgotten classics. Their passion for books is infectious, and their knowledge is often vast.
Bookshops exist as emotional sanctuaries, where the mind and spirit are set free to roam the infinite possibilities of the imagination. Listing all the ones I love would have been an impossible task, but here are a handful of my favourites.
1. HATCHARDS (Piccadilly, London)
London has a lot of excellent book shops. Not as many as there used to be, sadly, but still plenty to choose from. Why Hatchards? Because they’ve been selling books from that building since 1797! Very few shops manage that sort of continued success. There is a personal reason, too. The former manager, Mr Peter Giddy, could not have been kinder when I released my first book, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, in 1976. When you’re a first-time author, little things like that can make a massive difference.
2. LANDMARK (Pune, India)
I was actually invited to open this store, which is part of the Landmark chain that dominates India. It’s now owned by the Tata Group, which, of course, owns the Jaguar brand in this country. I remember being shown an article in The Times of India – which I’m told is the biggest-selling English language newspaper in the world – that claimed 100 million people in India had read Kane and Abel!
And I can believe it! I was at the Jaipur Book Festival in 2019 and 8500 people turned up to hear me speak. I was stunned; it felt like being a rock star. Why did so many people in India read Kane and Abel? Because they are the most aspirational nation on Earth, and they all identify with Abel.
3. EASON (O’Connell Street, Dublin)
I remember visiting this shop and seeing a whole section devoted to the seanchaí: traditional storytellers. And I felt incredibly proud when one or two people I met in Ireland called me a seanchaí. I saw it as a badge of honour. Ireland is a nation of serious readers and a nation that, considering its size and population, has made a one hell of an impact on the literary world. Personally, I don’t think it’s got anything to with academic success or universities or anything like that. It’s simply because they are natural-born storytellers. Ireland is a nation of seanchaís!
4. TATTERED COVER (Denver, Colorado)
It’s sometimes hard to put your finger on the exact reason why a bookshop works its way into your heart. Is it because of a particular book you purchased there? Is it the location? Being able to see the Rocky Mountains as you’re leafing through the new releases certainly brings a touch of magic to the Tattered Cover.
I was heartbroken to read that it’s been through some financial difficulties and may have to close. If you are ever in Denver, please pay them a visit.
5. WATERSTONES (Taunton, Somerset)
I’m a Somerset boy, of course, born in Weston-super-Mare. And Taunton is home to the county cricket ground, where I have spent many happy hours. As luck would have it, Waterstones is on the way, so I am always popping in for a browse.
Waterstones is part of a chain and not all those big names survived the arrival of the internet. Why have we still got Waterstones? The answer is: Sir James Daunt, the managing director, a man who knows just about everything there is to know about books. He’s taken them from being quite well-known to arguably the best-known chain in the country.
6. BARNES & NOBLE (5th Avenue, New York)
Thinking about this bookshop always makes me laugh because I remember walking in there – again, we’re going back to the time when Not a Penny More had just come out – and noticing that I was competing for space with the latest Robert Ludlum release. I think it was The Chancellor Manuscript. As you can imagine, Ludlum’s books were stacked several feet high… piles and piles of them all over the shopfloor. Undeterred, I went to the counter and asked if they were stocking the new one from Jeffrey Archer. “Yes,” I was told. “We have three copies.”
7. THE HOUSE OF BOOKS (St. Petersburg)
Mary and I came across this place when we were in St. Petersburg to visit the Hermitage Museum, which is one of my favourite museums anywhere in the world. Inside, it was all a bit higgledy-piggledy, but it had an immense and amazing selection of art books. Yes, I’ll admit I bought a couple.
I have spent a lot of time in St. Petersburg over the years… seen the Mariinsky Ballet three times. Mary I were there as recently as 2019, but the sad thing is that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to visit that wonderful city ever again. I just can’t see Putin letting tourists in like he used to.
8. JOHN MENZIES (Princes Street, Edinburgh; now a Waterstones)
I’ve got an embarrassing story to tell about Menzies. When my son, James was about eight, his school choir from St. John’s in Cambridge went up to Edinburgh to do a play in the festival. As they walked past Menzies, James noticed an entire counter bulging with my book, Kane and Abel, which had just been published. Obviously proud of his father, he started handing out copies of the book to all his friends.
When the manager asked him what he was doing, James told him that Kane and Abel was his father’s book and he wanted to give them to his friends as presents! Unsurprisingly, the manager was suspicious and James was hauled straight into the office, where it was explained that they weren’t his father’s books… they were John Menzies’. It didn’t end there! Before they let him go, they asked James to call home and prove that he was who he said he was, and not just making it up.
I will always be grateful to Menzies for treating my eight-year-old so kindly and with such understanding.
9. HEYWOOD HILL (Curzon Street, London)
For my son William’s 21st birthday, I gave him a lifetime subscription that allows him to go into Heywood Hill and buy any book for the rest of his life. William is a serious reader and he now has a serious library to feed his passion.
I know that in this era of Kindles and iPads, we no longer have to visit a bookshop or carry around a physical book – especially if it’s a weighty hardback – but, for me, they form a large part of the pleasure I get from reading. To go into a decent bookshop and ask the staff what they’d recommend. To browse and let my imagination wander. To feel the book in my hands and study the artwork. Yes, I do sometimes read a book on my iPad, but I always purchase a hard copy, too.
10. DYMOCKS (Sydney, Australia)
Dymocks is part of a chain, but they’re also fiercely proud of their reputation as a serious bookshop. They have one of the largest selection of hardbacks that I’ve ever come across. Unfortunately, the last time I was there, the staff were telling me that there are only about five or six fiction authors that sell serious quantities in hardback. Yes, there are more hardbacks that get released, but during any single month you’ve only got a half-dozen or so that are getting the big numbers.
These are difficult days for authors, but the book world has gone through some major changes over the last few years and it’s still going strong. People will always read books and we will always need bookshops.
For more articles, please visit the Unputdownable Article page, or the Unputdownable Podcast.
Or please read or listen to Chapter 1 of Traitors Gate for free.